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Startseite | English | Useful accessories for an ElliptiGO

Why an article about accessories?

Whether you need certain accessories for your ElliptiGO, such as a mudguard or a lock, is of course a very individual question. But that is not what this article is about.

I have a lot of accessories on my bikes, and I’m so happy with some of them that I’d like to briefly introduce them here and tell you my experiences. This is not limited to original accessories from ElliptiGO. In addition to hardware, there is also software. Some discussed accessories may not available outside of Germany.

Transport container

Because I have far distances from home on my training routes, I carry a basic set of breakdown and first aid material and of course some sports nutrition with me on all my bikes.

This is in the bags that can be seen in various photos. Due to the lack of a saddle, saddlebags for tools that are popular among cyclists are of course not possible, which is why handlebar bags are a good choice for stand up bikes.

With the long strides you can place light luggage, such as a rain jacket, on the underbody plate.

This plate is actually more of a plastic sheet and attached to the frame via very thin eyelets using cable ties. If you put too much strain on it, it will bend, and you increase the risk of the eyelets tearing. If that happens, replacement is available in the respective ElliptiGO online shops.

I find the following three bag models particularly suitable for an ElliptiGO.

I have an insulated food bag from Red Cycling Products on each bike. This can be easily attached to the handlebar – if necessary with a few additional Velcro straps. I usually have a drink bottle or a soft flask in my bag. The mesh pockets on the outside are good for documents, a power bank or a banana. Unfortunately, this particular bag or a successor model appears to be no longer available. Maybe there is something similar from other retailers.

The double frame bag from BTWIN is perfect for the ElliptiGO MSUB/RSUB and should also fit a SUB. The bag offers plenty of space and fits perfectly.

I attached it so that the opening of the cell phone compartment is at the front. The rear fastening strap is left open. With the lower strap, you should make sure that it passes between the Bowden cables and the frame. The bag causes slight signs of wear on the paintwork of the frame. If you don’t like that, you shouldn’t use it.

On my 11R I use a frame bag from SKS Germany called Racer Edge. This also fits perfectly.

Safety

I have a rearview mirror on the left end of the handlebars on all bikes. An essential safety accessory for me. I use the Cyclop from Zéfal, which is easy to adjust and allows optimal visibility. However, from time to time you have to tighten the screws on the mirror a little, especially if it is folded often.

I mostly try to avoid busy roads. But if it can’t be avoided, I’m glad that there are brake lights for bicycles, which significantly increase safety. I use the BLAZE stop light from Sigma. There are also cheaper models, especially from Asian manufacturers. However, the brake light mentioned has a StVZO (German road traffic act) approval that many others have not.

At the 11R it can be easily attached to the frame…

I fixed an attachment for it on the MSUB and SUB…

The device could have a slightly longer battery life, but in pure break light mode it will last for an all-day tour.

Frame protection

Despite the Shadow Plus rear derailleur, I had paint damages on the rear frame of the MSUB. That’s why I use a chainstay protector from SKS Germany, which can be mounted on the thin chainstays just firmly enough so that it doesn’t slip. I also use this protection with the SUB. Because of the brake attachment, you have to shorten it a bit in length…

Toe cages

I consider the original ElliptiGO toe cages to be indispensable for stand-up bikes. In addition to fixing the foot in the correct position, they help immensely to use the energy of the back leg on the hill. As a result, you ride safer and more efficiently.

On elliptical bikes, the pedals are not raised because otherwise the load wheels lose grip. The toe cages there serve more to fix the feet in the optimal position. I wouldn’t want to be without them on my 11R either.

All foot straps should be adjusted so that the shoes fit well, but you can still get them out quickly. It’s better to adjust it a little wider at the beginning.

Bar Ends

The 11R comes standard with Ergon GP5 grips, which have angle-adjustable full-size bar ends. In my opinion, these are very useful to support the training with the special pedaling on the long strides. On hilly roads I usually hold the handlebars outside by the bar ends.

For the MSUB I initially thought about using such bar ends too, but I found them rather suboptimal for a mountain bike.

By chance, I came across so-called Innerbarends from the SQlab brand, which are attached to the inside of the handlebar. Because of the price, I decided to first try the much cheaper counterparts from M-Wave. I liked these so much that I have now installed them on all three bikes.

I don’t want to be without it at MSUB anymore. Especially on longer distances on flat terrain, the bar ends ensure a comfortable posture that automatically turn your elbows inwards. This noticeably reduces wind resistance. You can easily reach the brake levers from this grip position. This is not the case with standard bar ends.

With the 11R and SUB I find a grip position further out better due to the movement when pedaling on the small tires. I rarely use the inner bar ends there. But they don’t bother you and are a good option if your hands get numb.

When using the M-Wave model, it should be noted that, in my opinion, they should not be mounted as far inside an ElliptiGO as described by M-Wave, but rather according to the SQlab method, between the handle and the brake.

The M-Wave ends are quite small. I can handle it well with my glove size eight (M). Those with larger hands may be happier with the SQlab models.

Device mounts

I use SP Connect mounts for my cycling computer and smartphone. I can really recommend their products. They are stable and very easy to handle.

Once I had a fall in which the handlebars of my bike fell onto the curb. The cell phone holder came into contact with the ground, but the phone remained completely intact, as did the cycling computer.

A case from the older SPC system from SP Connect protects my phone. There is now the newer version SPC+. On every bike, I mounted a Mount Pro MTB with anti-vibration module for the cell phone. According to the manufacturer, the anti-vibration module is not needed for bicycles, but rather for motorcycles due to their vibrations. However, the cameras of modern smartphones are quite sensitive, and the additional dampening won’t do any harm. So far, I haven’t had any problems with my cell phone in this regard.

The cycling computers are fixed via a Micro Stem Mount, which replaces the ElliptiGO’s headset cap. An adapter from the Bike Computer Adapter Kit is plugged into the mount. This includes an adapter for Garmin and Wahoo compatible computers. Since my bike computers fit on both mounts, one kit is enough for two bikes.

Computer and sensors

Because I navigate using my cell phone, I don’t need a bike computer for navigation. Due to my two different locations, I wanted at least two devices, which is why I looked for a cheap model. In addition to Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT+, it should have a reasonably large display.

I decided on the Cycplus M1 and also use the combined two-in-one speed and cadence sensors C3 from this manufacturer. Both can be found regularly in special offers at a very large online retailer.

The M1 has a long battery life, an easy-to-read display that cannot be individually configured, but shows exactly what I need on the main page with speed, training duration, distance, cadence and pulse.

The synchronization, which is comparatively slow with longer distances, works via an app from XOSS. I don’t really like the app, but I only use it for synchronization, and that’s what it’s good for. If desired, the training data can be automatically sent from there to Strava, which usually works well. Alternatively, you can also download the data manually from the app and process it further. This is done in fit data format.

In my opinion, the speed and cadence sensors are very good. They can be switched for the respective purpose and indicate the operating mode with a colored LED. They work extremely reliably and have a long battery life. The battery of the speed sensor on the MSUB lasted almost 2,800 kilometers and was used for 146 hours of operation. On the 11R, the batteries in both sensors wanted to be replaced after 2000 kilometers or 130 hours of operation.

They can be easily attached to both ElliptGO product families. There isn’t a lot of space for the cadence sensor on the MSUB. So that it doesn’t slip and then rub on the frame, I fixed it with a small cable tie in addition to the rubber.

To use the bike on the roller trainer, the speed sensors must be attached to the rear wheel hub.

When using it as a speed sensor on the thick Alfine hub of the 11R, you have to lengthen the rubbers. A larger O-ring or a cable tie are suitable for this.

Here are the wheel circumferences for setting the speed sensors in bike computers for the tires I currently use. I follow Schwalbe’s recommendations, they have proven successful for me in practice. The information from ElliptiGO differs somewhat:

The wheel circumference is known to vary depending on the rim, air pressure and weight. If you need it exactly, you should determine its size by testing it individually.

The sensors transmit Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT+ in parallel, which is why they should be compatible with almost all computers and smartphones.

In practice, it has been shown that they are very robust without causing any malfunctions.

I’ve been using a Polar Verity Sense as a heart rate monitor for a long time, which I took from running to the ElliptiGO. It works very reliably with the M1 and smartphone. Its running time is enough for a day trip.

Navigation

As a runner, I often trained on changing routes and often used voice navigation. That’s why I was used to having the essential training parameters announced to me via earphones.

I wanted to do the same when training with the ElliptiGO. When running, I used an app called Run.GPS, which I was very happy with, but which is no longer being developed. When hiking, I use Locus Pro. However, I was not satisfied with the voice navigation of this app and especially with its route planning. I also gave up trying to use Komoot after I got lost several times without being pointed out, and also wanted to have the training parameters announced via earphone.

I came across BikeComputer Pro, and I am very happy with this app. The price for the app is fair and also the subscription model for the premium version, which is not necessarily needed. This offers for instance a recalculation when leaving the route, which I usually don’t use because I want to drive the routes as planned. You can also plan special routes, e.g. for mountain bikes. But even in the standard version, the route planning is great.

It takes a little experience at the beginning to understand how the voice navigation works. It is often necessary to take an additional look at the map display. Sometimes you are asked to turn because a waypoint slipped into a side street when planning the route. Or you have to turn right at a fork or intersection, but this means going straight ahead half right. I have therefore set the app so that the screen switches on automatically when I approach a turning point. In this combination, navigation with BikeComputer Pro works almost perfectly.

My phone uses between 17 and 25% of battery per hour when the bike computer is running. But that depends very much on the device and on what else is running in the background. Almost any smartphone with BikeComputer Pro should be able to train for three hours or more without having to use the power bank. If you set the screen to stay on all the time, you won’t be able to do workouts lasting several hours without an additional battery.

Beside navigation, the app offers a full bike computer that can announce the essential training data in addition to the navigation instructions. In addition to standards such as cadence and heart rate, there are also less common ones, such as inclines, which are quite practical.

However, the altitude calculation while driving is not so good for me, despite my smartphone having a barometric sensor for measuring altitude via air pressure. Although I have calibrated and adjusted a number of things, I see too many meters in altitude when I’m on the move. Therefore, I activated the correction of the altitude data in the settings, which compares the altitude with data from the Internet after completing a training session. This will happen later in the sports diary anyway.

BikeComputer Pro synchronizes with some sports portals, including Strava, but unfortunately not directly with my sports diary Runalyze. But this is possible via Strava. The training data can also be exported in gpx data format and further processed manually.

The Cycplus M1 is usually the primary source of my recordings, BikeComputer Pro is the backup. If something goes wrong with the recording on one of the devices, the data from the training session is not lost.

If you are interested in bicycle navigation, you should take a look at the app.

Documentation und motivation

In other articles, I have often reported that I am very happy using Runalyze as a sports diary. That’s why I would like to mention it briefly here. I used the Sport-Tracks software in the past, but switched to Runalyze many years ago when it was first launched.

In the article How do you train with an ElliptiGO? I briefly explained why I consider the Strava platform, which is popular with cyclists, to be suboptimal for an ElliptiGo.

Although the name can be more associated with running and the portal is operated by two runners from Germany, Runalyze today is a multisport platform. It offers specific analyzes for running, but also many that are independent of the sport. Looking at ElliptiGO, the altitude and incline evaluations are great…

… and of course that you can define ElliptiGO as own sport…

In addition, the training comparison of all activities via the TRIMP is quite helpful…

Runalyze offers powerful equipment management that allows you to keep an eye on the maintenance intervals of your bikes…

Finally, there is the possibility of using some gimmicks for motivation if you want to. This includes, for example, visualizations of activities via so-called streak analysis, posters or a nice personal route map…

If you like training on varied routes, you can try to train around your entire area. The Tiles counter tool is suitable for this, with which the earth is divided into tiles of a maximum of 1.2 x 0.6 km. If you have exercised in a tile, it will be marked…

Like almost everywhere in Runalyze, you can filter by sport, time period or other.

Runalyze is directly compatible with numerous platforms and devices, and of course also offers the option of manually uploading training data or entering it manually in a form.

Startseite | English | Useful accessories for an ElliptiGO

Please note…

(Bike) ohne Sattel [without a settle] is a private, non-commercial project that has no connection to manufacturers, importers or dealers. I am a user only. This website is of German origin and subject to the relevant German legal framework. The use of my hints, instructions and recommendations is at your own risk, I assume no guarantee or liability for this! Each user is responsible for complying with the relevant local technical and traffic regulations!

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